Chapter 1 The Shipwreck

Journal of Princess Jessica — Autumn

Today my sister departed for the jungle to explore new trade routes for the kingdom. The harbor was busy with sailors and crates of goods, but all I could hear was the sound of the waves against the ships. I tried to smile as she left, because a queen must be brave when her people are watching.

Still, my heart is uneasy.

This time of year the storms come often. The sea grows restless in autumn, and sometimes the winds turn cruel without warning. Ships are lost in those waters more often than anyone likes to admit.

I know my sister is strong. She has always been braver than I am, always the one willing to step beyond the castle walls and into the unknown. That is why the people love her.

But tonight, as the wind rattles the windows of the castle and the waves grow louder against the cliffs, I find myself whispering a quiet prayer to the sea.”

Please let her come home.

— Princess Jessica Rockwell, Kingdom of Ondarion, Second Heir

The storm did not arrive slowly.

It struck the Devil’s Tempest like a hammer from the heavens.

Wind screamed through the rigging as the sea rose in black, towering walls. The ship climbed one wave only to plunge violently into the next, its wooden frame groaning under the strain.

Lightning tore across the sky, turning the ocean silver for a heartbeat before plunging everything back into darkness.

Then the wave came.

It slammed against the side of the ship with enough force to rattle every beam and board. The Tempest lurched hard to port, throwing loose ropes and barrels across the deck as seawater poured over the rails.

Below deck, the impact carried through the hull like thunder.

Gia woke to the sound of the ship groaning.

For a moment she didn’t move, her eyes still closed as the Devil’s Tempest rose and fell beneath her. The storm had been building for hours, the steady rocking of the sea something she had grown used to on long voyages.

Then the ship launched violently.

The sudden shift threw her against the side of the bed and her eyes flew open. Somewhere above deck, something heavy crashed and rolled across the planks.

Gia pushed herself upright, steadying her breath as the Tempest dipped again.

Storms didn’t usually bother her. When the sea grew rough, she had learned long ago that keeping her hands busy helped settle the unease in her stomach.

She swung her feet to the floor and crossed the small cabin to the chair near the lantern. From the basket beside it, she picked up her knitting.

The familiar rhythm usually calmed her.

Tonight, it didn’t.

The ship creaked again, deeper this time, as another wave struck the hull.

Gia glanced across the cabin.

Drake sat near the small lantern, one leg stretched out and a book resting easily in his hands. The warm light flickered across the pages as the ship rolled beneath them, but he read as if the storm outside were nothing more than a passing annoyance.

The Devil’s Tempest groaned again, wood straining against wind and sea.

Drake didn’t look up at first. His thumb traced the edge of the page, steadying the book as another wave struck the hull. For a moment the lantern light danced across his face, catching the quiet focus in his eyes.

Gia watched him over the needles of her knitting.

Even here, in the middle of a storm strong enough to rattle the bones of the ship, Drake Velasco looked completely at ease.

“It’s not as bad as it feels.” He tried to assure her with that Pirate smile and those sea green eyes.

Then the Tempest lurched again, harder this time.

Drake finally closed the book.

He rose from his chair and crossed the small space between them. Leaning down, he pressed a quick kiss to Gia’s forehead.

“Stay here,” he murmured.

He turned toward the cabin door, the ship pitching sharply beneath his feet. Seawater had already begun to creep across the floorboards from somewhere above. His boot slid on the wet wood, and he caught himself against the doorframe with one hand.

For a moment he paused there, steadying himself as the storm roared overhead.

Then Drake pushed the door open and stepped out into it.

The door closed behind him and the cabin felt strangely quiet.

Gia lowered her knitting for a moment, listening as Drake’s footsteps faded above the storm. The Devil’s Tempest shifted beneath her again, the lantern swaying gently with the movement of the ship.

She forced her eyes back to the needles.

In. Around. Pull through.

The rhythm had always helped on long voyages.

The cabin creaked as the ship rolled again, but Gia’s thoughts had already drifted far from the storm.

She could feel the velvet in the tearoom of the castle, in Ondarion as clearly as if she were sitting there now. Matilda just delivered fresh Strawberry Fizzy Cakes and Minty Mocha Cakes to the room for us. Our favorites.

Jessica leaned her head back as she put the cake in her mouth, pop rocks popping in her mouth.

“You’re leaving for the jungle,” Jessica had said, though the rocks were still fizzing in her mouth.

Gia nodded.

“To secure trade routes,” she answered. “There’s been talk of opening new ones through the southern passes.” Gia paused. “We have been sent word, that there is a new vein of Alexandrite.”

Jessica’s brow lifted slightly.

“Now you understand why I must go now and not later.” It wasn’t a question.

Jessica didn’t answer right away. She simply watched her sister for a long moment, Rocks still popping in her mouth.

“Just be careful. I’m not ready to rule.”

The wind tore at Drake’s coat as he fought to stay on his feet.

Rain lashed across the deck and the Devil’s Tempest heaved violently beneath him, climbing another wall of dark water before crashing down again. The mast groaned under the strain, ropes snapping tight against the storm.

For a moment the lightning turned the sea white.

And the memory came with it.

He was eight again, standing on the deck of the Tempest. It was so warm that day, but he knew a storm was coming.

Two figures stood in the sand, their voices low but clear enough for a frightened boy to hear.

Long John Buttercups leaned into Rodrigo Velasco. “His mother swore by it.”

Rodrigo laughed under his breath.

“Aye. Said a child of Death brings luck to the sea.”

Rodrigo looked back toward Drake then, studying him as they headed for the dock.

“Let’s hope she was right.”

The memory shattered with the crack of thunder.

Drake blinked hard as the present rushed back around him. The Tempest pitched violently beneath his boots, the storm louder now than before.

He turned toward the cabin hatch.

“Gia!” he shouted into the wind.

But the storm swallowed his voice.

Another massive wave rose out of the darkness and slammed into the side of the ship with brutal force. Wood splintered beneath the impact as the Devil’s Tempest lurched sideways.

For one terrible second, the vessel held.

Then the hull began to break.

The storm showed no mercy.

Waves crashed endlessly against the Tempest, the sea rising higher with every passing moment as wind and rain swallowed the horizon whole. The sky had turned a deep, unnatural black, the moon barely visible through the sheets of falling rain.

Far out beyond the struggling ship, something moved beneath the surface of the water.

The ocean rolled and churned as if the storm itself were breathing.

Then, deep beneath the dark waves, something ancient stirred.

A long shape cut silently through the water, its scaled back rising just enough to break the surface before disappearing again into the depths.

The storm had not come alone.

Chapter 1 The Shipwreck

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